Review: Paddock Wood Loki Double IPA

I haven't had any beer by Saskatoon's Paddock Wood Brewing since I tried Bête Noire back in February. Thanks to Stephen, who is undeniably the #1 fan of Paddock Wood's beer (especially since his beer-based twitter account is dedicated to it! @PaddockWoodGuy), I get to try four of their beers, and not only that, he sent me Paddock Wood glassware and coasters! Thanks Stephen! I'm unbelievably excited to try the beers. I would have reviewed them sooner, but I'm a bit of a beer hoarder as it is.

The first one of the collection I'm trying is their Loki Double IPA, which has an ABV of 8.7%. The label has drawings of Loki fish.

Appearance: The beer pours a very nice honey-copper red with a slight amount of transparency. The head is a bit of a beige-off white colour.

Aroma: I still have Minhas' Imperial Jack Double IPA stuck to me somehow so I can somewhat compare it. A nice amount of citrus hops, I can smell bit of strong & sweet malts, pineapple, grapefruit and other citrusy fruits. Pretty decent and welcoming.

Taste: Certainly lighter tasting than Minhas, but comparing anything to Minhas is an insult so I'll stop. It's not overwhelming at all. A fair amount of bitterness coming from the hops, really hits the middle of the tongue. If you don't like a bitter IPA, you won't like it. I enjoy it. There's also a bit of a pineapple sweetness. Nice amount of spiciness thanks to the malts, hops and citrus added. Half way through the beer, there was another aspect of the beer - smokiness. I honestly thought I was getting a bit buzzed, but nope, there was a bit of a smokiness in the beer I could taste, reminiscent of Rogue's Chipotle Ale, but without that hotness.

Overall thoughts: I'm not sure if this a seasonal or a regular beer at Paddock Wood as Double IPAs are usually a seasonal thing. I would buy this if I saw it at the MLCC, or even if I see at SaskLiquor the next time I go to Saskatchewan. It's not overpowering (unless if you count the bitterness from the hops, which doesn't bother me one bit), has a nice amount of grapefruit & pineapple citrusness, and very enjoyable for a lazy Thursday. I'm looking forward to trying the next three! I can already tell that Paddock Wood is likely the best brewery in Saskatchewan, especially if compared to Great Western!

Cody Lobreau

Welcome to BeerCrank.ca! I'm a bit obsessed about craft beer, especially Canadian craft beer so I mainly review Canadian beer but I love to try beer from all over the world as well. My goal is to help influence the casual beer drinker to go out and expand their beer palate one way or another. Feel free to send some feedback!
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